A Performance Of The Passing Of King Arthur

One of the gifts of living a long life is witnessing to the unfolding lives of your children. It is fascinating to follow some of the destiny threads from a childhood interest to fulfillment

in adulthood. Our youngest son, Colin Michael, played St. Micha-el, the heavenly warrior, in second grade proudly holding aloft his golden sword. His father read to him nightly until he was twelve years old. Together they explored the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Tom Sawyer and many more adventure stories, but the favorites were the King Aruthur books. He had his own horse and it was a joy to watch the incredible bond between them. When he was fourteen, we took him to England and visited every known haunt of the legendary king, including the place King Arthur was alleged to have been buried. Colin eagerly mounted Glastonbury Tor, and playfully dared the incoming tide at Merlin’s cave at Tintagel.

Throughout high school, Colin was a well known basketball star, and ultimately took his athleticism into a career in eurythmy, an art form given by Rudolf Steiner, with disciplined and graceful gestures that make visible the beauty of speech and the tones of music.

He has played a lead role of King Arthur, which his father saw three years ago. This February it was performed again in Ashland, Oregon, and I have just seen it for the first time. With a large dedicated group of eurythmists, accompanied by a world known pianist, the production was profound. It was compelling to follow the intense words of Tennyson

the powerful gestures of eurythmy. At six foot five our son is an impressive presence on stage.. Needless to say, it was very moving to see him in this role, holding aloft his famous bejeweled sword, Ex Calibur, and ordering his last faithful knight, Sir Bedivere, to cast it forth glittering like a lightening flash into the elements, ultimately to have it received and brandished thrice by the mysterious and haunting Lady of the Lake before disappearing. Then gracefully the three regal queens arise from the forboding dark of the death barge to receive the mortally wounded king to be borne to the grave and Avalon.

The audience was riveted, lifted to a deep and profound level of involvement in the legend by the outstanding performances of the skilled troupe involved. The great gift which Rudolf Steiner gave us of eurythmy can truly bring us to the threshold... “The old order changeth, yielding place to new, and God fulfills himself in many ways.” were Tennyson’s words. Surely we are now challenged to be creators of a new order based on courage and love of all humanity in the world we are living in today. And in raising our children, never doubt the deep and lasting impressions there can be from the stories read to a young child!